“So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image” (Revelation 16:2 ESV).
So, those who received the mark of God’s adversary now received another kind of mark: “…ugly and painful sores” (CEV). This condition conveys the image of an ulcer that produces a discharge from the skin. (1) From a medical perspective, it’s possible that this mark (in whatever form it takes), generated some type of disease, infection, or disorder that led to this ulcerous condition.
Revelation 16:3 then continues: “Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea. The water became like the blood of a dead person, and every living creature in the sea died” (Revelation 16:3 GNB). This reference to “blood” may be a symbolic way of saying that the sea acquired the same lifeless character as the blood of someone who has departed from this life.
We should also notice that every living thing in the sea perished as a result of this action. This presumably includes all the shellfish, plant life, and microorganisms that live in the sea along with the aquatic life. This passage thus speaks of an ecological disaster of unprecedented magnitude.
A similar judgment follows in verse four: “The third angel poured his bowl over the rivers and the springs. They turned into blood” (GW). Just as an earlier judgment rendered one-third of the world’s freshwater supply undrinkable, the rest of the earth’s waters were now subjected to a similar fate. From a practical standpoint, this judgment foreshadows the close of this era of human civilization, for without an adequate water supply, humanity simply cannot survive.
Nevertheless, the angel who carried out this mission readily admitted, “You are just in these judgments, O Holy One…” (Revelation 16:5 NIV). This reminds us that God does not engage in vigilante justice. Instead, this passage illustrates the grim reality facing those who refuse God’s living water. A similar proclamation regarding these judgments follows in verse seven…
“And I heard another from the altar saying, ‘Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments'” (Revelation 16:7).
Since God is true and righteous in His judgments, we would do well to recall the exhortation given to us in Romans 12:19: “Never take vengeance into your own hands, my dear friends: stand back and let God punish if he will. For it is written: ‘Vengeance is mine. I will repay’” (Phillips).
(1) G1668 – helkos – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv). (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1668/kjv/tr/0-1/